I would like people to understand that first of all that Islam in no way condones the actions of these extremists; those barbaric savage acts that we have been seeing on TV. The public beheadings, the rape, the slavery, the mass murders. There’s nothing in Islam that condones those kinds of actions…

…Now I know some people say that there are verses in the Koran that refer to violence but I would say there are such verses in the Bible, as well.

…There really is nothing in the holy script that condones these kinds of actions.

…The second thing I want people to know is that those people don’t represent the 1.6 billion Muslims around the world who just want to live in peace.

…As a Muslim community we have to all stand up and confront them, as a community, and confront them aggressively. At the same time we can’t bare responsibility collectively for their actions.

Looking around the world it is kind of unsettling to see how much people associate Islam with hate and violence.